Cockroft storms to 100m gold

Wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft destroyed the field and the Paralympic record to claim gold in the T34 100 metres at a packed Olympic Stadium.

The 20-year-old had the race won by halfway as she crossed the line in 18.06 seconds, almost one-and-a-half seconds clear of her closest rival, Holland's Amy Siemons.

The Halifax athlete, who has cerebral palsy, had already broken the Paralympic record in qualifying in the morning and no one could get close to stopping her taking the title.

Cockroft, who was greeted by a huge roar when introduced to the screaming fans, had admitted after her 18.24secs clocking in the heats she was "a little scared" by the atmosphere.

But there were no sign of nerves whatsoever on the big occasion.

Cockroft, who was the first person to set a world record in the stadium earlier this year, got off to a typically explosive start and never looked back.

Only a slight head wind denied her the chance to attack her own world record of 17.60s.

"I've been working for the last four years for that. That was a good race," she told Channel 4.

Asked about her emotions on crossing the line, she said: "I kind of was deciding whether to cry or laugh or what to do. It's a little bit surreal when you've been dreaming about it for so long and then it just kind of happens in, what, 18 seconds?

"You're kind of like, 'I want to do it again. I can do it better.' I've got it now. I can't complain."